Multi-cassette carrying case

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a multi-cassette carrying case are provided herein. In some embodiments a method for transporting a substrate from a first processing device to a second processing device includes docking a substrate cassette to a first chamber; pumping down pressure in the substrate cassette; transferring a substrate through the first chamber to the substrate cassette; sealing the substrate cassette and moving the substrate cassette having the substrate disposed therein from the first chamber to a second chamber; docking the substrate cassette to the second chamber; and transferring the substrate from the substrate cassette through the second chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/933,651, filed Nov. 5, 2015, which claims benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/078,401, filed Nov. 11, 2014.Each of the aforementioned related patent applications is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to substrateprocessing equipment, and more specifically, methods and apparatus forhandling a substrate.

BACKGROUND

During processing of a substrate, the substrate may be transferred tomultiple chambers to perform various processes. The substrate is in avacuum during processing and at atmospheric pressure during transfer.Oxidation forms on the substrates upon leaving the vacuum environmentand returning to atmospheric pressure. As such, it is necessary for thesubstrate to undergo a degas and/or preclean procedure to remove anyoxidation prior to any further processing, resulting in processingdelays.

Therefore, the inventors have provided improved methods and apparatusfor substrate transfer.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of a multi-cassette carrying case are provided herein. Insome embodiments, a multi-cassette carrying case includes a body havingan inner volume; a door coupled to the body to selectively seal off theinner volume; and a plurality of cassette holders disposed in the innervolume to hold one or more substrate cassettes.

In some embodiments, a multi-cassette carrying case includes a bodyhaving an inner volume; a door coupled to the body to selectively sealoff the inner volume; a plurality of ledges disposed on opposite sidesof the inner volume; and a plurality of snap locks disposed in a rearportion of the inner volume, wherein the plurality of ledges and theplurality of snap locks are configured to hold one or more substratecassettes.

In some embodiments, a method of transferring substrates includes:placing a substrate in a substrate cassette, wherein an inner volume ofthe substrate cassette is sealed from an environment outside of thesubstrate cassette; and placing the substrate cassette in amulti-cassette carrying case.

Other and further embodiments of the present disclosure are describedbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above anddiscussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to theillustrative embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the appendeddrawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawingsillustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are thereforenot to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admitto other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic view of a processing system having asubstrate transfer apparatus in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of a substrate transfer apparatusin accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view of a substrate cassette in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a top view of a substrate cassette in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional close up view of a substrate cassettein accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an isometric view of a multi-cassette carrying case inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section view of the multi-cassette carrying caseof FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 depicts an isometric view of a cassette protector for use withthe substrate cassette carrying apparatus of FIG. 6 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 depicts a close-up view of the cassette protector of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of loading a substrate tobe processed into a substrate cassette in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplifiedfor clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods andapparatus for transferring a substrate. Embodiments of the inventiveapparatus may include a substrate transfer chamber that advantageouslymounts directly to a load lock chamber of a substrate processing tool,thus minimizing any negative impact on the floor space occupied by thesubstrate processing tool and avoiding unnecessary and costlymodification of existing processing systems. The inventive substratecassette of the present disclosure advantageously allows for thetransport of a substrate in a vacuum, thus avoiding any oxidation thatmay occur on the substrate when moving from a vacuum environment toatmosphere.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top-view diagram of an exemplary multi-chamberprocessing system 100 that may be suitable for use with the presentinventive apparatus disclosed herein. Examples of suitable multi-chamberprocessing systems that may be suitably modified in accordance with theteachings provided herein include the ENDURA®, CENTURA®, and PRODUCER®processing systems or other suitable processing systems commerciallyavailable from Applied Materials, Inc., located in Santa Clara, Calif.Other processing systems (including those from other manufacturers) maybe adapted to benefit from the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the multi-chamber processing system 100 maygenerally comprise a vacuum-tight processing platform 102, a factoryinterface 104, and a controller 140. The processing platform 102 mayinclude a plurality of process chambers 190A-F and at least one loadlock chamber 184 (two shown) that are coupled to a transfer chamber 188.A substrate transfer robot 106 (described below with respect to FIGS. 2and 3) is centrally disposed in the transfer chamber 188 to transfersubstrates between the load lock chambers 184 and the process chambers190A-F. The process chambers 190A-F may be configured to perform variousfunctions including layer deposition including atomic layer deposition(ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD),etch, pre-clean, de-gas, orientation and center-finding, annealing, andother substrate processes Each of the process chambers 190A-F mayinclude a slit valve or other selectively sealable opening toselectively fluidly couple the respective inner volumes of the processchambers 190A-F to the inner volume of the transfer chamber 188.Similarly, each load lock chamber 184 may include a port to selectivelyfluidly couple the respective inner volumes of the load lock chambers184 to the inner volume of the transfer chamber 188.

The factory interface 104 is coupled to the transfer chamber 188 via theload lock chambers 184. In some embodiments, each of the load lockchambers 184 may include a first port 123 coupled to the factoryinterface 104 and a second port 125 coupled to the transfer chamber 188.The load lock chambers 184 may be coupled to a pressure control systemwhich pumps down and vents the load lock chambers 184 to facilitatepassing the substrate between the vacuum environment of the transferchamber 188 and the substantially ambient (e.g., atmospheric)environment of the factory interface 104.

In some embodiments, the factory interface 104 comprises at least onedocking station 183 and at least one factory interface robot 185 (oneshown) to facilitate transfer of substrates from the factory interface104 to the processing platform 102 for processing through the load lockchambers 184. The docking station 183 is configured to accept one ormore (four shown) front opening unified pods (FOUPs) 187A-D. Optionally,one or more metrology stations (not shown) may be coupled to the factoryinterface 104 to facilitate measurement of the substrate from the FOUPs187A-D. The factory interface robot 185 disposed in the factoryinterface 104 is capable of linear and rotational movement (arrows 182)to shuttle cassettes of substrates between the load lock chambers 184and the one or more FOUPs 187A-D.

In some embodiments, the inventive substrate transfer chamber 200 isdisposed on a load lock chamber 184 to facilitate transfer of asubstrate to or from the processing platform 102 while keeping thesubstrate in a vacuum atmosphere at all times. The processing platform,and the substrate transfer chamber, may be configured to process andhandle substrates of varying sizes, including round wafers such as 150mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 450 mm, or the like.

FIG. 2 depicts a substrate transfer chamber 200 in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure. The substrate transfer chamber200 includes a body 202 that defines an interior volume 204. A bottomportion of the body 202 includes an opening 206 that fluidly couples theinterior volume 204 with the load lock chamber 184. The body 202 furtherincludes a door 208 to allow access to the interior volume 204. In orderto facilitate coupling of the substrate transfer chamber 200 to the loadlock chamber 184, the substrate transfer chamber 200 may include anadapter plate 209 having an opening 203 aligned with the opening 206 tocouple the interior volume 204 with an inner volume 205 of the load lockchamber 184. The adapter plate 209 will very in dimension andconfiguration depending upon the structure of the load lock chamber 184of the specific processing system, which advantageously minimizes thecost of retrofitting the substrate transfer chamber 200 to existingprocessing systems. The adapter plate 209 may be coupled to thesubstrate transfer chamber 200 and the load lock chamber 184 using aplurality of fasteners such as, for example, screws (not shown). Theadapter plate 209 includes seals 211, 213 (e.g., gaskets, or o-rings) atthe interface with the substrate transfer chamber 200 and at theinterface with the load lock chamber 184 to ensure a proper seal andavoid any vacuum leaks. Similarly, the door 208 also includes a seal 207at the interface between the door and the body 202. Because thesubstrate transfer chamber 200 is fluidly coupled to the load lockchamber 184, a vacuum source 230 that evacuates the load lock chamber184 also evacuates the substrate transfer chamber 200.

The substrate transfer chamber 200 further includes a cassette support210 to support a substrate cassette 300 (described below with respect toFIGS. 3 and 4). In some embodiments, the cassette support 210 includes acollar 212 having protrusions 215 that extend from opposite sides of thecollar 212 to engage a corresponding mounting apparatus 324 on thesubstrate cassette 300 and support the substrate cassette 300 in theinterior volume 204. However, the cassette support 210 may include anytype of device capable of holding onto the substrate cassette 300. Thecassette support 210 further includes a shaft 214 coupling the collar212 to a first end of an arm 216. A lift actuator 218 is coupled to asecond end of the arm 216 to raise and lower the cassette support 210 inthe direction indicated by arrow 217. The cassette support 210 mayinclude any type of actuator capable of raising and lowering thecassette support 210. In some embodiments, for example, the liftactuator 218 may be a linear actuator. The cassette support 210 furtherincludes a locking device 220, which may be coupled to the cassettesupport 210 between the collar 212 and the shaft 214. The locking device220 includes a first piston actuator 221 and a second piston actuator222 on one side of the collar 212 and a protruding element 219 (e.g., ahook) at an opposite side. The first and second piston actuators 221,222 are described below together with the locking plate 308 of thesubstrate cassette 300.

In some embodiments, the substrate transfer chamber 200 may optionallyinclude a seal plate 250 having a shape corresponding to the lowersurface of the substrate transfer chamber 200. The seal plate 250 may beplaced on the lower surface of the chamber to block the opening 206 toallow the processing system 100 and the load lock chamber 184 tofunction normally without use of the substrate transfer chamber 200. Theseal plate 250 may be secured to the lower surface via any conventionalmeans such as, for example, screws or the like. A seal may be disposedbetween the seal plate 250 and the lower surface of the substratetransfer chamber 200 to prevent any vacuum leaks during normal operationof the load lock chamber 184.

The load lock chamber 184 includes a first opening 232, a second opening234, a pedestal 236, and a lift hoop 238. The first opening 232facilitates interfacing with the docking station 183 to allow thefactory interface robot 185 to insert or remove a substrate from theload lock chamber 184. The second opening 234 facilitates interfacingwith the processing platform 102 to allow the substrate transfer robot106 to insert or remove a substrate from the load lock chamber 184. Asshown in FIG. 2, the first and second openings 232, 234 may bevertically offset so that the lift hoop is raised to receive/supply asubstrate from/to the factory interface robot 185 and lowered toreceive/supply a substrate from/to the substrate transfer robot 106. Alift actuator 240 is coupled to the lift hoop 238 to raise or lower thelift hoop 238 as necessary.

FIG. 3 depicts a side view a substrate cassette 300 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 depicts a top view ofthe substrate cassette 300 attached to the cassette support 210 of thesubstrate transfer chamber 200. The substrate cassette 300 includes anupper portion 302 and a lower portion 304 which, when coupled, define aninterior volume 505 (shown in FIG. 5). The substrate cassette 300 alsoincludes a locking mechanism 306, which couples the upper portion 302 tothe lower portion 304, and a mounting apparatus 324 having prongs 325and a latch 323. The mounting apparatus 324 is shaped so that theprotrusions 215 of the collar 212 are inserted into a space 327 betweenthe prongs 325, which rest on the protrusions 215 to support thesubstrate cassette 300. As the substrate cassette 300 is moved furtherinto the interior volume 204, the protrusions 215 move further into thespace 327 and the latch 323 approaches the protruding element 219. Thesubstrate cassette 300 is pushed until the latch 323 latches onto theprotruding element 219, thus locking the substrate cassette 300 in placeand allowing the substrate cassette 300 to hang on the cassette support210.

The locking mechanism 306 may include a locking plate 308 disposed onthe upper portion 302 and having a plurality of arms 310 extending froma center of the locking plate 308. Two of the plurality of arms 310include upwardly extending tabs 312 that are perpendicular to thelocking plate 308. A plurality of locking pins 313 extend through endsof the plurality of arms 310 and into a corresponding plurality of slots314 formed in both the upper portion 302 and the lower portion 304. Eachof the plurality of locking pins 313 includes a reduced diametermidsection whose diameter is less than a width of each slot 314 to allowthe locking pin 313 to slide along the slot 314. Both ends of eachlocking pin 313 have a diameter that is greater than a width of the slotto prevent the locking pin 313 from passing through the slot 314. Eachof the plurality of slots 314 includes an elongated portion 316 and ahole 318 at one end of the elongated portion 316. A thickness of theelongated portion 316 is less than a diameter of the hole 318.

In a locked position (e.g., when the upper portion 302 and the lowerportion 304 are coupled), each locking pin 313 extends through theelongated portion 316. Because the ends of the locking pins 313 are toolarge to pass through the elongated portion 316, the upper portion 302and the lower portion 304 are sandwiched together between the enlargedends. In an unlocked position, each locking pin 313 extends through thehole 318. The ends of the locking pin 313 are sized to allow the lockingpin 313 to pass through the holes 318. When each locking pin 313 extendsthrough the hole 318, the upper and lower portions 302, 304 can beseparated. To ensure that the locking plate 308 remains coupled to theupper portion 302, each of the plurality of arms 310 includes aprotrusion 320 that extends beneath a corresponding tab 322 formed onthe upper portion 302. As shown in FIG. 4, the protrusions 320 aresubstantially perpendicular to the arms 310.

Referring to FIG. 4, the locking device 220 includes a first pistonactuator 221 and a second piston actuator 222 perpendicular to the firstpiston actuator 221. The first and second piston actuators 221, 222 areeach disposed adjacent to one of the upwardly extending tabs 312 to pushthe upwardly extending tabs 312 and move the locking mechanism 306 in afirst direction and a second direction opposite the first direction(e.g., between the locked and unlocked positions). In some embodiments,the first and second piston actuators 221, 222 may be actuated usingsoftware.

In some embodiments, the upper portion 302 may include a loaddistribution plate 326 coupled to an upper surface of the upper portion302 to evenly distribute a downwardly projecting force by the cassettesupport 210 pressing the upper portion 302 against the lower portion 304for coupling. The load distribution plate 326 is coupled to the upperportion 302 via a plurality of fastening elements 330 (e.g., bolts,screws, or the like). In some embodiments, the upper portion 302 mayfurther include a plurality of locating pins 328 to interface with acorresponding plurality of holes in the lower portion 304 to correctlyalign the upper and lower portions 302, 304 during coupling.

FIG. 5 depicts a close up cross-sectional view of the substrate cassette300 containing a substrate 502. The substrate 502 rests on an innersurface 508 of the lower portion 304. In some embodiments, the innersurface may be shaped so that the number of contact points between thesubstrate 502 and the inner surface 508 is minimal to prevent any damageto a backside of the substrate 502. For example, the number of contactpoints may be limited to four contact points. In, some embodiments, theupper portion 302 may include an annular ring 510 proximate a peripheryof the substrate 502 to limit or substantially eliminate any movement ofthe substrate 502 during transport. The upper and lower portions 302,304 may be formed of any material that will not damage the substrate502. For example, in some embodiments the upper and lower portions 302,304 are formed of polyether ether ketone (PEEK). The lower portion 304may include a seal 504 (e.g., gasket, o-ring, or the like) around aperiphery of the lower portion at the interface between the lowerportion 304 and the upper portion 302. The seal 504 prevents any vacuumleaks when the substrate cassette 300 is removed from the vacuumenvironment inside of the substrate transfer chamber 200. The seal 504is formed of a material that is non-sticky, vacuum-compatible materialto ensure that the separation of the upper and lower portions 302, 304does not damage the seal 504.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower portion 304 includes a recessed section506 through which the substrate transfer robot 106 can extend to liftthe substrate 502 after the upper portion 302 has been separated fromthe lower portion 304.

In operation, the substrate cassette 300 is inserted onto the collar 212of the substrate transfer chamber 200. When the door 208 is closed, thevacuum source 230 coupled to the load lock chamber 184 evacuates theinterior volume 204 and the inner volume 205. The lift actuator 218 thenlowers the substrate cassette 300 onto one of the lift hoop 238 (if thelift hoop 238 is raised) or the pedestal 236 (if the lift hoop 238 islowered). If the substrate cassette 300 is lowered onto the raised lifthoop 238, the lift hoop 238 is lowered until the substrate cassette 300rests on the pedestal 236. The locking device 220 is subsequentlyactivated to rotate the locking mechanism 306 towards the unlockedposition. Next, the lift actuator 218 lifts the upper portion 302 up,leaving the lower portion 304 resting on the pedestal 236. A substrate502 is either placed in or removed from the substrate cassette 300.Subsequently, the lift actuator 218 lowers the upper portion 302 ontothe lower portion 304 and forces the two portions together. The loaddistribution plate 326 ensures that this force is evenly distributedabout the substrate cassette 300. The locking device 220 then rotatesthe locking mechanism towards the locked position, thus locking theupper and lower portions 302, 304 together. After the interior volume204 and the inner volume 205 return to atmosphere, the lift actuator 218lifts the substrate cassette 300 back up into the substrate transferchamber 200 for removal.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict a multi-cassette carrying case 600 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The carrying case 600includes a body 602 that defines an inner volume 704 and has an opening606. At least one handle 614 may be disposed on an outer surface of thebody 602 to enable carrying of the carrying case 600. The carrying case600 further includes a door 608 that is placed in the opening 606 toseal off the inner volume 704. Although in FIG. 6 the door 608 is shownas fully detachable, the door 608 may alternatively be attached to aside of the body 602 via a hinge assembly. The door 608 includes lockingmechanisms 610 that facilitate locking the door 608 in the opening 606.The locking mechanisms 610 may include any locking mechanisms suitableto fix the door 608 shut.

The carrying case 600 further includes a plurality of cassette holdersto hold one or more substrate cassettes 300. The cassette holdersinclude a plurality of ledges 612 on opposite sides of the inner volume704 to support one or more substrate cassettes 300. To ensure that thesubstrate cassettes 300 do not move during transport, the plurality ofcassette holders may further include a plurality of snap locks 702disposed at a rear portion of the inner volume 704. To place a substratecassette 300 in the carrying case 600, the substrate cassette 300 isplaced on a set of ledges 612 and pushed towards the corresponding snaplock 702. When the substrate cassette 300 contacts the snap lock 702,the substrate cassette 300 is pushed further so that the snap lock 702deforms outwardly and subsequently latches onto the substrate cassette300, thus locking the substrate cassette 300 in place.

In some embodiments, the carrying case 600 may include a vacuum port 616and a vent port 618 to allow coupling of the carrying case to a vacuumsource. In embodiments in which the inner volume 704 of the carryingcase 600 is evacuated, the door 608 may include a seal around itsperiphery to prevent any vacuum leaks during transport. In someembodiments, the carrying case 600 may also include a pressuremonitoring device 620 to monitor and display a pressure of the innervolume 704. Alternatively or in combination, the vacuum port 616, ventport 618, or another port (not shown), may be coupled to a gas source,for example an inert gas source, to provide an inert gas to the interiorof the carrying case.

FIGS. 8 and 9 depict a cassette protector 800 in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the cassetteprotector 800 may be used in combination with the multi-cassettecarrying case 600 to provide added protection to the substrate cassette300. The cassette protector 800 includes a plate 802 having a pluralityof arms 803. Each of the plurality of arms 803 includes an upwardlyprojecting edge 805. A plurality of bumpers 804 are respectivelydisposed on inner surfaces of the upwardly projecting edges 805. Thedistance from a first bumper 804 to a second bumper 804 disposed acrossfrom the first bumper 804 is approximately equal to a diameter of thesubstrate cassette 300. Each of the projecting edges 805 includes alatching apparatus 806 having a latch 808 and a latch handle 810 tosecure the cassette protector to a substrate cassette.

Referring to FIG. 9, a plurality of latch plates 902 corresponding tothe plurality of arms 803 are coupled to the upper portion 302 of thesubstrate cassette 300 via fixation elements 904. The latch plate 902includes a hook 906 which, when the substrate cassette 300 is placed inthe cassette protector 800, is disposed adjacent the latch 808. Toengage the latch 808, the latch handle 810 is lifted, the latch 808 isplaced on the hook 906, and the latch handle 810 is pushed down again,thus coupling the cassette protector 800 to the substrate cassette 300.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1000 of loading a substrate502 to be processed into a substrate cassette 300 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. At 1005, a volume (interiorvolume 204) in which the substrate cassette 300 is disposed isevacuated. At 1010, a locking mechanism 306 of the substrate cassette300 is unlocked to uncouple an upper portion 302 from a lower portion304 of the substrate cassette 300. At 1015, the upper portion 302 isseparated from the lower portion 304. At 1020, the substrate 502 isplaced on an inner surface 508 of the lower portion 304. At 1025, theupper portion 302 is forced against the lower portion 304. At 1030, thelocking mechanism 306 is locked to couple the upper portion 302 to thelower portion 304. Thus, the substrate may be disposed in the substratecassette 300 in a vacuum environment while located outside of the vacuumprocessing tool.

Returning to FIG. 1, the controller 140 may be provided and coupled tovarious components of the multi-chamber processing system 100 to controlthe operation of the multi-chamber processing system 100. The controller140 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 142, a memory 144, andsupport circuits 146. The controller 140 may control the multi-chamberprocessing system 100 directly, or via computers (or controllers)associated with particular process chamber and/or support systemcomponents. The controller 140 may be any form of general-purposecomputer processor that can be used in an industrial setting forcontrolling various chambers and sub-processors. The memory, or computerreadable medium, 144 of the controller 140 may be one or more of readilyavailable memory such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory(ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, optical storage media (e.g., compact discor digital video disc), flash drive, or any other form of digitalstorage, local or remote. The support circuits 146 are coupled to theCPU 142 for supporting the processor in a conventional manner. Thesecircuits include cache, power supplies, clock circuits, input/outputcircuitry and subsystems, and the like. Inventive methods as describedherein, such as the method 1000, may be stored in the memory 144 assoftware routine that may be executed or invoked to control theoperation of the multi-chamber processing system 100 in the mannerdescribed herein. The software routine may also be stored and/orexecuted by a second CPU (not shown) that is remotely located from thehardware being controlled by the CPU 142.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof.

1. A method for transporting a substrate from a first processing deviceto a second processing device, comprising: docking a substrate cassetteto a first chamber; pumping down pressure in the substrate cassette;transferring a substrate through the first chamber to the substratecassette; sealing the substrate cassette and moving the substratecassette having the substrate disposed therein from the first chamber toa second chamber; docking the substrate cassette to the second chamber;and transferring the substrate from the substrate cassette through thesecond chamber.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintainingvacuum pressure in the substrate cassette while moving the substratecassette from the first chamber to the second chamber.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising creating a seal between the substratecassette and the second chamber after docking the substrate cassette tothe second chamber.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the substratecassette includes a body having an upper portion and a lower portion,the upper portion coupled to the lower portion to define an interiorvolume.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein transferring a substratethrough the first chamber to the substrate cassette comprises placingthe substrate on an inner surface of the lower portion.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein sealing the substrate cassette includes using a lockingmechanism to couple an upper portion of the substrate cassette to alower portion of the substrate cassette.
 7. The method of claim 1,further comprising placing the substrate cassette in a multi-cassettecarrying case prior to moving the substrate cassette from the firstchamber to the second chamber.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein aninterior volume of the multi-cassette carrying case is fluidly coupledto a vacuum source.
 9. A method for transporting a substrate from afirst processing device to a second processing device, comprising:docking a substrate cassette to a first chamber; transferring asubstrate through the first chamber to the substrate cassette; sealingthe substrate cassette; using a vacuum source to maintain pressure inthe substrate cassette while in transport; and docking the substratecassette to a second chamber.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising transferring the substrate from the substrate cassettethrough the second chamber after docking the substrate cassette to thesecond chamber.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating aseal between the substrate cassette and the second chamber after dockingthe substrate cassette to the second chamber.
 12. The method of claim 9,further comprising placing the substrate cassette in a multi-cassettecarrying case prior to docking the substrate cassette to a secondchamber.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the multi-cassette carryingcase includes a body having an inner volume, a door coupled to the bodyto selectively seal off the inner volume, and a plurality of cassetteholders disposed in the inner volume to hold one or more substratecassettes.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the multi-cassettecarrying case includes a vacuum port coupled to the vacuum source tomaintain pressure in the substrate cassette while in transport.
 15. Themethod of claim 9, wherein a substrate transfer robot is used totransfer the substrate through the first chamber to the substratecassette.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein the substrate cassetteincludes a body having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upperportion coupled to the lower portion to define an interior volume. 17.The method of claim 9, further comprising pumping down pressure in thesubstrate cassette prior to sealing the substrate cassette.
 18. Themethod of claim 9, further comprising transferring the substrate fromthe substrate cassette to the second chamber after docking the substratecassette to the second chamber.